


how to ___ a guy in 10 days

by kangchanhee



Category: NCT (Band), SuperM (Korea Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-18 13:27:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29118951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kangchanhee/pseuds/kangchanhee
Summary: mark is a journalist who is assigned to get and lose a boyfriend in ten days for an article. xuxi works in advertising and in order to get a deal, he has to make someone fall in love with him in ten days. it would be a hilarious coincidence if the someone turned out to be mark, wouldn't it?akaa re-write of "how to lose a guy in 10 days" (2003) but with xuxi and mark as the main characters
Relationships: Mark Lee/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas
Comments: 1
Kudos: 17
Collections: In Another Life





	1. Chapter 1

“Have you seen Nana today?” Mark asked curiously. He wasn’t  _ worried, _ but Jaemin almost always got to work way before Mark, the latter often stopping on his way to get coffee for his friends - Jaemin’s coffee order took way too much time - and getting stuck in traffic more times than he could count with both hands.

“Last we spoke, he was talking about how Jeno wasn’t returning his calls lately and-” Jisung’s eyes widened as he trailed off and he looked over to Mark. The older tilted his head in confusion but realised what Jisung was thinking.

“Oh  _ no _ ,” they both groaned at the same time.

“I’ll go get him, it’s my turn,” Mark volunteered with a sigh. He grabbed his and Jaemin’s cups of coffee and left his cubicle. Jisung mouthed a  _ ‘good luck’ _ as he disappeared from Mark’s sight when he stepped into the elevator.

Jaemin had a very bad habit of becoming - for the lack of better phrasing - absolutely  _ useless _ when he got broken up with. And, unfortunately, that seemed like exactly what had happened this time around, too.

Mark and Jisung always told him that he shouldn’t be so clingy right away and to tone it down but Jaemin was never one to listen. It gave Mark a headache,  and he'd rather not experience it this early, at least not today.

They had their morning meeting in twenty minutes. If Mark was ready to risk a speeding ticket, he could get to Jaemin’s in three, talk to him for four, let him get ready for ten minutes and get back to work with a few seconds to spare. Mark exhaled and pressed on the gas pedal. The things he was willing to do for his friends…

Luck was on his side, as there were no cop cars to chase him down the street and he was blessed only by the green hue on the traffic lights. The boy quickly got out of his car, not bothering to check if he had parked normally - if luck was on his side this once, then it had to stay there for the rest of the day - and sped up the stairs to the second floor of the building.

Mark knocked on the door adamantly until he heard slow footsteps approaching the door.

The boy expected to be greeted with a ‘hello’ or ‘good morning’, or any other combination of words along the lines of a salutation.  _ Instead _ , the door opened and Jaemin’s facial expression turned sour as if he had just eaten a lime and a flood of tears came running down his cheeks that seemed to already be stained with them.

Mark hugged the younger comfortingly as best he could without spilling either of the coffees in his hands and pushed his way into the apartment. Jaemin was now full-on sobbing on his shoulder, complete with noisy sniffing and whines.

“Come on, Nana, pull yourself together,” Mark said comfortingly. “You knew the guy for what? Ten days? You’re better than this. You could get anyone. He’s the one that should be crying over losing you!”

“Those were the best ten days of my life, Mark; you don’t get it. He was the _one!_ ” Jaemin blew his nose loudly and, detaching himself from the hug, he jumped back into his bed face-first into his pillow.

“Didn’t you say that about the last guy, too?” Mark wondered out loud. That only earned a pillow flying straight at him. “Okay, okay, sorry.” He barely kept in a laugh. “We have a meeting in -” Mark checked his watch, “- fifteen minutes. Get up and make yourself presentable while I put an outfit together for you.”

“I can’t, Mark, I just cannot!” Jaemin protested, clutching his teddy bear tightly to his chest. “I’m suffering from heartbreak - that should be reason enough to excuse me from work.”

“Nana,” Mark spoke as sternly as he could, “he won’t return to you if you just wallow in self-pity. Show him that you’re doing well without him and he’ll come running back to you.”

There was a pause for a few seconds and the older almost started talking again when Jaemin quietly spoke up: “Do you really think so?”

“I’m sure of it,” Mark lied. His main goal currently was to get Jaemin out of bed, not to fix his heartbreak.  The latter would come later when they'd have time to go out for drinks and to have a heart-to-heart about what had gone wrong.

“You’re right,” Jaemin agreed and climbed out of bed with a huff. “He’ll realise what he’s missing out on once I’m out there having the time of my life without him,” the boy said to himself before disappearing behind the bathroom door.

Mark let out a long sigh and walked up to his friend’s closet. He picked out the best  _ break-up outfit _ he could and laid it out on the bed. It consisted of ripped jeans and a flowing silk blouse. In Mark’s not-so-humble opinion, that was one of Jaemin’s best fits, showing off just enough skin and making sure everyone knew what a catch the boy was.

Mark then entered Jaemin’s kitchen and checked his fridge - maybe he had something Mark could quickly turn into breakfast so that the boy’s stomach wouldn’t start growling loudly in the middle of their meeting that they were probably going to be late for by now.

Mark whipped up two sandwiches, which was the only thing he trusted himself enough to make. As he was finishing up, Jaemin exited the bathroom, looking way fresher than before, and if Mark didn’t know better, he wouldn’t even be able to tell that Jaemin had been crying a few minutes prior.

The boy changed into the clothes Mark had chosen for him and sat down in front of his sandwich. He exhaled loudly as if to prepare himself and quickly ate, probably noticing how Mark kept anxiously eyeing his watch.

“Let’s go?” Jaemin asked, his mouth still full as he drank americano to wash the unchewed bites of bread down.

“Let’s hope we make it in time,” Mark said.

They quickly got down to the older’s car, Jaemin almost forgetting to lock the door to his apartment, and sped back to work. Mark was sure he was making all kinds of traffic violations, but that was a problem for future him when he would receive a speeding ticket in his mail.

It was precisely 9:30 am when they entered the building. Their meeting had to be starting now, so they weren’t terribly late. Jaemin took ahold of Mark’s hand as they ran to Ten’s office. They slipped into the room when Ten was looking away and sat next to Jisung, who had pity for Jaemin written all over his face.

Mark noticed two advertising agents sitting on the sofa closer to the window. It seemed like Ten was getting another deal.  _ Nice _ . Maybe if he got really lucky, he could get a raise.

“Why are you two late?” Ten asked as he lit the incense stick. Mark was convinced he had eyes on the back of his head; his boss was seemingly aware of everything that was happening at all times.

“Uhm-” Mark looked over at Jaemin for a confirmation that he could tell the truth. His friend nodded lightly and Mark continued, “Jaemin got broken up with, so I had to help him out.”

“Oh, poor you,” Ten said, putting his hands on his heart. “He doesn’t deserve you, sweetheart, don’t be too upset.”

“Thank you, Ten,” Jaemin said, wiping away a stray tear that had appeared in the corner of his eye. Jisung discreetly passed him a tissue that Jaemin gratefully accepted.

“You should write about it! That’d make a great article,” Ten offered. “ _ ‘How to Deal with Heartbreak 101 - Best Tips and Tricks.’ _ Articles that are written from experience are  _ always _ hits, especially if you include spicy details about the relationship you had.”

“Oh,” Jaemin seemed to be taken aback, “I don’t think I can do that. I don’t want to write about my heartbreak, I’d end up drowning my computer in tears.”

“Hm,” Ten hummed, glancing around the room as if to consider Jaemin's predicament . “Who wants to write about Jaemin’s heartbreak?” A couple of hands shot up as he looked over the room. “Mark, what are you working on right now?”

“I’m writing about the trade talks between the UK and the EU, it’s actually really interesting-” Mark talked until he was cut off by a laugh at the other end of the room, which he shut down with a glare. The boy was aware that maybe politics was not the way to go but it was an interesting enough subject to at least try.

“No, that won’t do.” Ten furrowed his brows. “You can write about Jaemin instead.”

Mark sighed. He was not too keen on writing about trivial matters like these. He could never relate to them. Sure, he flirted with people and had had relationships, but they never ended in  _ heartbreak _ that was as bad as Jaemin’s. Articles like that didn’t interest him as much. Sometimes he wondered what he was even doing, writing for _ ‘(mis)guided vanity’ _ .

“I don’t think I’d be too comfortable publicising my relationship - or the lack of, rather,” Jaemin protested, his voice small.

“You could easily write an article on how to lose a guy at this rate,” Chan said, a grin on his face. The man had a deep-rooted hatred for Jaemin and he never wasted an opportunity to throw out a snarky remark that seemed funny to no one but him. Jaemin had once slept with the guy that Chan had had his eye on and since then he had turned insufferable.

“That’s a  _ great _ idea,” Mark said, putting a smile too wide to be real on. “ _ ‘How to lose a guy in 10 days’ _ ! It can be about the most common mistakes people make early in a relationship. I’ll make sure to ask you for your experiences, Chan, don’t worry.”

Before Chan could sputter out an answer, Ten spoke up, an amused smile on his face. Ten was a sucker for drama.

“That won’t be necessary. Mark, I want you to meet a guy and make all those mistakes and write about how it goes. The article needs to be ready in ten days; we go to press in eleven and I still need to approve it. If you can write that, you can write about anything.”

Mark relaxed into his seat. It was a doable task. Writing from experience wasn’t that hard - he’d just have to find a guy to get together with and promptly annoy him enough to make him dump him. That seemed easy enough.

Mark had hoped that when he, Jisung and Jaemin went out tonight, they’d just have a guys’ night and have fun, but it seemed like Mark would have to work. It was worth it, though. Mark just had to get through these ten days and write the article, and then he could write about anything he wanted.

Just ten days.

***

“Boss told me to tell you that you did a great job getting that jewelry deal; they’ve commissioned an advertisement plan from us,” Yangyang informed Xuxi as he entered his office. Xuxi had already been ready to leave work and go home but the hearing of such news deserved something more than that.

“No fucking way!” Xuxi exclaimed. “We’re in business, bro. I’ll think of the greatest sales pitch and we’ll be rolling in money.” A wide smile appeared on his face.

“Oh, about that…” Yangyang said. “Kun wants to give the project to the demon duo,” he informed, each word quieter than the last.

“What? No.” Xuxi furrowed his brows. He had worked too hard to get this deal for it to go down like this. He deserved to be the head of the project, not Renjun and Donghyuck or, how they were affectionately called,  _ the demon duo _ .

A well-earned title - their sales tactics were ruthless and worked wonders. Always as a team. The two of them probably had some kind of an office romance - they seemed too involved with each other to not. Technically, work relations like that weren’t allowed but everyone chose to ignore that; their sales spoke for themselves. Xuxi didn’t care much. All he cared about was that he  _ needed _ that project, and he was going to make sure he got it.

He didn’t have anything against Renjun and Donghyuck - didn’t have anything for them either - they did their job well and that was what’s important. But Xuxi was  _ not _ going to let them take  _ his deal. _

“Yeah, they’re meeting at Ambience at around eight and Kun’s presenting them with the offer,” Yangyang explained. Ambience was a restaurant around half an hour away from the office. If Xuxi left now, he could make it on time to interrupt their meeting and convince Kun to give him the deal instead. Xuxi could do it. He knew he could.

“Wish me luck.” Xuxi grabbed his phone and his wallet and took one last look at the mirror to see if he was at least somewhat presentable.

“Oh no, what are you going to do?”

“I’m crashing their meeting, of course,” Xuxi said, an eyebrow confidently raised. “I’m getting that deal no matter what.”

Yangyang sighed at that. He didn’t seem particularly surprised, but that didn’t mean his disappointment wasn’t immense. “Good luck. And  _ don’t _ get fired.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Xuxi winked and left his office. He heard Yangyang say something else but he couldn’t discern the words - though honestly, if Yangyang wasn’t running after him to make sure Xuxi had heard him, then it couldn’t have been _ that _ important.

Xuxi ran down the stairs, barely avoiding tripping over his own feet and barreling down, and safely left the building in one piece. He got on his motorcycle and started towards the restaurant. He had  _ just  _ enough time to make it there before the clock struck eight, though perhaps with his current speed clocking in at 75 miles per hour, he’d probably even have enough time to think of some convincing reasons for Kun to choose him to take on the project over Renjun and Donghyuck. Even if he couldn’t get there early, bullshitting was one of his strong suits.

Xuxi arrived at his destination earlier than he had expected - two minutes until eight - and carefully parked his motorcycle by the sidewalk before taking in a breath of fresh air and entering the restaurant. Xuxi didn’t see Kun or Renjun and Donghyuck anywhere yet.

“Hello! Reservation for Qian Kun?” Xuxi walked up to the host and asked with a bright grin.

“Right here, follow me,” the host said with a smile and led Xuxi to an empty table. “May I offer you something to drink while you wait for everyone else?”

“Ah, no, thank you,” Xuxi declined. The host nodded and promptly left.

Xuxi knew he was being shameless, but desperate times called for desperate measures. His shamelessness tended to be one of his greatest assets in getting what he wanted in life and Xuxi knew, as rude as it was, that this interruption would only get him bonus points in Kun’s book; his boss valued people that strived for their goals.

“What are you doing here?” a voice behind Xuxi asked. He turned to face the voice, only to find that Kun, Renjun, and Donghyuck had arrived all at the same time, Renjun with narrowed eyes and Donghyuck with a puzzled look on his face. Kun just seemed surprised but accepted the situation as it was.

“I’m here to tell you why you should give the deal to me,” Xuxi said as they took their seats.

“Xuxi, you’re great at your job, we all know that,” Kun started. “But this is a bit too... intricate.” Xuxi saw that his boss was trying to put the rejection lightly. Very sweet of him, but Xuxi was _ not  _ going to accept this rejection. “We all know that jewellery is very much associated with love and romance, and, well… I feel like Renjun and Donghyuck are most suited for a job like this, for  _ obvious _ reasons.” 

“I can sell love, too. I  _ love _ love!” Xuxi objected. “I’m great with all things love.” Perhaps he was repeating the word ‘love’ a bit too much, but it helped get the point across. Or so he hoped.

“Oh, please.” Donghyuck rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed. “You don’t know the first thing about  _ love _ .”

“I could make  _ anyone _ fall in love with me. And I could make anyone fall in love with jewellery. Isn’t that what we need?” Xuxi asked persistently.

“I was actually seriously considering letting you take the job…” Kun admitted, a thoughtful expression on his face. Renjun looked over to Donghyuck, despair obvious in his eyes, Donghyuck mirroring his expression. “Now I’m torn.”

Xuxi thanked all deities he could think of and continued pushing. “I know how love works and I know how advertising works.  _ And _ , need I remind you that  _ I _ was the one who got us the deal in the first place?”

“Fine, I’ve decided,” Kun said, his voice full of finality. “Let’s make a bet,” he offered. “If you can make someone of their choosing-” he gestured to Renjun and Donghyuck, “-fall in love with you in ten days, you get the deal. You’ll have to bring them to the charity dinner and I’ll talk to that person myself to make sure. Does that sound good?”

“Perfect,” Xuxi agreed, a pleased grin on his face. That was easier than he had expected. The deal was basically his, he could already see the numbers in his bank account multiplying. “I have a rule, though. This person has to be attracted to men. Otherwise, it’d just be unfair.”

Donghyuck leaned towards Renjun and whispered something in his ear. Renjun nodded and looked over to the bar and then the rest of the room. Donghyuck did the same. Xuxi knew they were seeking out the hardest target, but he believed in himself. He knew he could do it regardless of whoever they chose.

“That one,” Renjun suddenly said, a mischievous smile on his face as he pointed to the bar. “Green jacket, black shirt, drinking a margarita.”

“Isn’t that...” Donghyuck trailed off, narrowing his eyes to take a closer look at the figure. A light smile graced his lips. “Yeah. Get him in ten days and the deal is yours.”

Xuxi couldn’t believe he was going to get his way so quickly. It was as if luck was shining on him only, securing him another few digits in his bank balance. He looked over at Kun for one last time to see if he approved and, once Kun gave a slight nod, Xuxi got up.

“Well, I shall leave you be, then, and go meet my future lover.” He laughed, waltzing over to the bar. Xuxi ordered two drinks - one regular and one virgin margarita. Xuxi still had to drive that night.

Confidence. That was what mattered most. Xuxi strongly believed that he could get anyone as long as he acted the part. He walked up to the boy and gave him a smile.

“Hi, I’m Xuxi,” he introduced himself, passing the boy one of the margaritas. “Interested?” Being straight-forward usually worked best in situations like these. This was the hardest part - he just had to avoid rejection now, and the rest would come easily.

“I’m Mark.” The boy accepted the drink and introduced himself, a wide smile growing on his face. Xuxi didn’t think that Renjun would be nice enough to actually choose someone that wasn’t either a middle-aged cougar or an old man for him to attempt to flirt with. Mark was  _ very _ pretty and far from middle-aged or old. “Give me your best sales pitch and I’ll decide whether or not I’m interested.”

“I’m an Aquarius, I own a motorcycle and I can give you the ride of your life in more ways than one.”

“Hm, would you like to prove that last one?” Mark asked, taking a sip of his cocktail with a cock of his brow. “I’ve always wanted to ride a motorcycle. And other things, too.” He winked, a giggle leaving his lips.

“I’d love to,” Xuxi agreed, a flirty grin on his face. “Where would you like to go?”

“Well, I’ve been wanting to get some food from anywhere that isn’t here,” Mark admitted, downing his margarita in a few gulps and putting the glass down on a nearby table. “Any ideas?”

“Hm, I have ramen at home. Or we can go to Dominos if you’d like,” Xuxi offered.

“I’d kill for some good ramen right about now,” Mark exclaimed. So far so good. Xuxi could even get the boy back to his place tonight, if all things went as planned.

“Then let’s go?” Xuxi offered Mark his hand, which the boy took immediately. Mark looked around and waved at a small group of people - Xuxi guessed they were his friends - and, after getting a wave back, they left.

Xuxi grabbed the extra helmet hanging off one of his handlebars to hand to Mark while he clasped on his own, turning around to help his date once he’d noticed him cutely struggling to put it on. Mark climbed onto the seat behind Xuxi, tightly wrapping his hands around the latter’s waist and nodding in confirmation once Xuxi had asked if he was ready, and then the two sped off into the night.

A few blocks later, they arrived at Xuxi’s apartment building. Mark had been holding onto him the whole ride, squeezing him so tight that Xuxi thought the boy was trying to strangle him. He only let go once Xuxi told him that the ride was over. The boy seemed a bit embarrassed, releasing his hold quickly.

Xuxi smiled charmingly and took Mark’s hand to lead him to his apartment. During the elevator ride up, Xuxi learned that they were both the same age, that Mark was a Leo and a journalist. He also seemed to have quite a low tolerance, Xuxi noted, watching Mark giggle to himself as they made their way up to his complex.

“Welcome to my humble abode,” Xuxi said as he opened the door to his apartment. He was thankful he’d decided on a whim to clean up his apartment yesterday. “Let’s go get some of that ramen?”

Mark hummed affirmatively and smiled, following Xuxi to the kitchen. The boy sat down at the table and looked around the apartment as if trying to figure out what kind of a person Xuxi was just by the little knick-knacks he had lying around.

“You said you were a journalist - what are you working on right now?” Xuxi asked to keep the conversation going as he made them some ramen. He had to express interest in his new love interest if he wanted to have any chance with him; that was just  _ Love 101. _

“Oh,” Mark seemed to be caught off guard, “I just finished an article about trade talks between the UK and EU. I know - it must sound boring.” Mark laughed awkwardly, sounding a bit embarrassed.

“I find that interesting actually, I can’t wait to read it.” Xuxi smiled encouragingly. To be completely honest, he had a lot of other things to read that wasn’t an article about a country in a whole other continent, but little white lies weren’t a bad thing.

“Really?” It was as if Mark’s eyes began sparkling out of excitement. “I’m not sure it’s going to get published… but I can send it to you if you’re not faking interest to get me in bed,” Mark said with a chuckle.

“I wouldn’t feed you my ramen if I only wanted to get you in bed,” Xuxi quipped. He took out a bottle of whiskey and poured two glasses. “Want some?”

“Sure.” Mark accepted the drink and took a sip. Xuxi downed his glass and poured himself another one. “So, what do  _ you _ do for a living?” Mark asked.

“I’m in advertising,” Xuxi said. He filled the two bowls in front of him with steaming ramen and sat down in front of Mark, putting one bowl in front of him. “I’m in the process of getting a really good deal right now,” he elaborated.

“Oh, nice,” Mark said.

They shared a few laughs during the meal and had a few more glasses of whiskey, Xuxi quickly catching up to Mark’s tipsiness. They were both now laughing way more than before, obviously already way more comfortable with one another as the night lulled on.

“Should we put on some music?” Xuxi asked, putting their now empty bowls in the sink. He opened _ Spotify _ on his phone and, after seeing Mark nod, passed it to the boy, so he could choose a song.  _ ‘I got you’ _ by Bazzi started playing over the speakers soon enough.

Mark got up and walked over to the living room couch to take a seat, Xuxi following to plop down next to him. Based on Xuxi’s previous,  _ extensive  _ experience, this was the best time to start doing something  _ more _ than just sitting, but Xuxi couldn’t be too sure - this wasn’t meant to be a one night stand. On the other hand, though, Xuxi reasoned with himself, Mark was  _ very _ hot and all Xuxi could think about was escalating the situation into something more than just casual, innocent sitting on the couch. It seemed like Mark had had the same idea as he put his hand on Xuxi’s thigh and turned to him.

“I think you promised me the ride of my life earlier,” Mark said, his voice a low rasp. “You still have to prove it,” he continued, his eyes fixated on Xuxi’s lips.

Xuxi was  _ not _ going to let this opportunity go to waste. He leaned in and crashed their lips together, a messy fight for dominance as Mark hungrily tugged on Xuxi’s lower lip while Xuxi let his hands roam all over Mark’s body.

They slowly fell back on the couch - Xuxi’s bed was simply too far and the thought of parting from Mark’s lips for even a second seemed like a heinous crime - with Mark’s legs straddling Xuxi’s hips. The couch was good enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank u to my lovely beta @hyckfairy on twt for beta-ing this and helping me out w planning and all else, thank u loads ily


	2. Chapter 2

“So…” Jisung sat down on the side of Mark’s desk. “How did it go yesterday?”

“You don’t even have to ask. Look at him - he’s got that post-dick glow,” Jaemin pointed out with a laugh. “You  _ do _ know you were supposed to get a guy for more than just a one night stand, right?”

“It’s fine, he’ll call me soon,” Mark said through a yawn, stretching out in his seat like a sleepy cat before looking over at his friends. He hadn’t gotten much sleep last night - they’d found something more… physically strenuous to do instead. “I left my wallet at his place and the tickets to Doja Cat’s concert were peeking out  _ very _ obviously.”

“That’s risky. What if he just steals your wallet?” Jisung asked, thoughtful. “Then you don’t get the guy, have no money,  _ and _ can’t go to the concert.”

Mark laughed. Xuxi didn’t seem like the person who would steal a wallet from a person he just hooked up with. He  _ did  _ seem like a person who enjoyed music, though - Mark had scoured his apartment in the morning before leaving and found quite a few CDs. He had taken a look at Xuxi’s playlists as well and was pleasantly surprised to find that they shared similar tastes in music.

“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see,” Mark hummed in response.

The boy’s phone rang as if on cue.  _ Speak of the devil. _

“Hello?” Mark spoke into the phone

“Good morning,” Xuxi greeted with enthusiasm. Mark could  _ hear _ the smile in his voice, and he was pretty sure that it was because he had found the tickets. “You left your wallet at my place. I suppose you’d like to get it back.”

“Oh, I was wondering where it went!” Mark lied. “Thank God it was at yours.” He let out a fake laugh of relief. “I got so worried. How can I pay you back for finding it?”

“Well, if you insist on paying me back… I noticed that you had not one, but  _ two _ Doja Cat tickets. I bet you need someone to go with,” Xuxi hinted. Mark smiled - everything was going according to plan. It was almost _ too _ easy.

“Hm, would that count as a date?” Mark asked innocently. Jaemin and Jisung were looking at him teasingly. Mark rolled his eyes and swivelled his chair around to face his window, knowing that if he’d maintained eye contact with them, he would’ve broken into laughter and foiled his whole plan.

“I’d certainly hope so,” Xuxi replied. A smug smile appeared on Mark’s face. Xuxi had no idea what he had yet to come. “When and where should I pick you up?”

Maybe it was a little unfair to put someone as innocently attractive as Xuxi through the hell that Mark was planning for him, Mark supposed, but his job - and Jaemin’s, thanks to the nature of his article - was on the line. If anything, Xuxi should actually be  _ grateful _ that Mark chose him to be his victim - he’d be able to be much more appreciative of all his future love interests after Mark’s unethical experiments on him. Besides, Ten had promised that Mark would be able to write about anything his heart desired if he got this job done. As sad as it might be (for his victim, anyway), Xuxi was the only obstacle left that Mark needed to overcome to advance his career, and therefore, Mark thought, sacrificing the innocent soul to write about things he truly cared about wouldn’t be _ that _ bad.

“I’ll be waiting for you at, let’s say, four? I’ll text you the address,” Mark replied. “We can grab something to eat before and then head over there.”

“That sounds perfect,” Xuxi agreed.

“Can’t wait to see you again,” Mark said with a flirtatious lilt in his voice

One of the most integral steps to his plan was being clingy, copied from the many times he’d hear Jaemin complain about Jeno ignoring all of his calls (all of which were usually made at midnight to detail what he’d had for lunch that evening).

Mark decided that starting slow and then building up to full-on clinginess would be best. He couldn’t already say things like  _ ‘oh, I think I can’t live without you’ _ and call him seven times in the span of five minutes because that would just make Xuxi block his number, but saying  _ ‘can’t wait to see you again’ _ seemed to be just enough for day one.

“Don’t miss me too much,” Xuxi chuckled in response.

“I’m not making any promises,” Mark replied. “I’ve got to go now, though. Pretty sure that my boss will chew my head off in three bites if I spend any more time on the phone with you.”

Ten was not like that as a boss at all - he was lenient and allowed people to be on their phones as long as they got their jobs done, and he was also _ very _ supportive of any flirting that took place. Xuxi didn’t know that, though, so Mark was free to lie all he wanted.

“Oh, well, we don’t want that to happen. Go back to work then. I’ll see you soon,” Xuxi said.

“See you,” Mark sing-songed and ended the call.

He turned back to his friends only to be met by Ten’s amused smile. Mark felt himself pale a few shades as he sputtered, struggling to find something to say. Jaemin and Jisung struggled to hold in their laughter.

“Do I really seem like such a monster?” Ten asked with a laugh, brow cocked in amusement as Mark flushed red in his seat. “Was that the guy you’re using for the article?”

Thankfully, Ten was not of the kind to take things to heart. No one really had anything bad to say about him anyway, so if any gossip did go around, it was mostly just fun and lighthearted.

“Y-yeah,” Mark answered, ignoring the first question. “We’re going to the concert I told you about, he’s picking me up at four,” he elaborated.

“And you’re going like…” Ten gestured vaguely at Mark, “this?”

“Yeah, why not?” Mark asked. Sure, he was still in his outfit from yesterday, but he thought it looked good nonetheless. Mark hadn’t found the time to stop at his own apartment in the morning before coming into work to change.

“That won’t do.” Ten knit his brow and turned. “Jaeminnie, take Mark and put together an outfit for him later. I  _ cannot _ see him going on a  _ date  _ in the same clothes he wore yesterday. It physically  _ pains _ me.”

“Don’t I have to  _ lose _ a guy?” Mark objected. “I don’t have to necessarily look all great.”

“You have to get him before you can lose him,” Ten retorted. “Who even argues with their boss when they let you go early?”

Jaemin was looking at Mark with pleading eyes; the younger clearly wanted to leave as early as possible. Mark sighed and agreed. Ten had a point - Mark couldn’t lose a guy if he didn’t have one in the first place. 

“Now scatter.” Ten turned to Jaemin and Jisung. “I expect to see you all working in less than two minutes,” he said in a strict tone. The two left to their own desks and Mark turned to his computer.

As he heard Ten’s footsteps fade away, he started on his tasks for the day. Mark had to answer some emails (the thing he hated most ever since college), make some edits to an article that was sent to him, and write a rough outline for his article.

He didn’t get to the last one, though. Mark had immersed himself in his job so much that he hadn’t noticed the passing of time and when Jaemin suddenly showed up and tapped on his shoulder, Mark almost jumped out of his seat in surprise.

“We should go, I have to make you look somewhat presentable,” Jaemin said, stifling a laugh at Mark’s reaction.

“Oh, yeah,” the boy replied, eyeing his computer and noticing that it was already 3 pm. Mark could’ve sworn it was only about noon. “Yeah, let’s go.”

Jaemin had taken all of his stuff, clearly using this as an opportunity to not come back to work after giving Mark a makeover. They pitifully waved to Jisung, who would still be stuck here for a few hours, and left.

Mark didn’t trust Jaemin’s driving all that much, the younger often missing some road signs or driving more than just a little over the speed limit, but despite that, they got to Jaemin’s apartment still in one piece. Mark was sure that he was well on his way to a cardiac arrest though.

“Okay, what vibe should we go for? Sexy? Cute? Pretty? Mysterious?” Jaemin asked, opening his wardrobe. The boy looked through the blouses he owned and picked a few out without waiting for an answer.

On one hand, it was great that they had clothes in similar sizes - in situations like these, it helped greatly. On the other, though, Mark couldn’t stand it, Jaemin frequently emptying Mark’s closet before dates and not returning various garments that he had previously enjoyed owning.

“Up to you,” Mark said, knowing that even if he chose one of the given options, Jaemin would still do what he wanted to, caring little about Mark’s opinion.

“That’s what I like to hear,” Jaemin hummed, still ruffling through his closet.

Mark sat on the younger’s bed as blouse after blouse landed next to him - some of them turning out to be his. He looked through them and chose a few favourites.

“Okay, put this on,” Jaemin said, picking a blouse from the ones Mark had chosen before and passing him some black skinny jeans. “I think it would look great on you.”

Mark did as he was told, leaving three buttons at the top undone. Jaemin had always taught him that was the right amount of skin to show. The younger eyed him from head to toe, judging the outfit. After a little pause, he nodded, content.

“I won’t do anything much makeup-wise, just like a smokey eye or something,” Jaemin informed, grabbing his makeup bag and sitting down next to Mark. The older hummed affirmatively and closed his eyes.

He felt light touches on his eyelids, Jaemin skillfully applying eyeshadow.

Mark still had to figure out what to do tonight to annoy Xuxi just the right amount. He couldn’t go all out yet - it was too early - but he had to give his date a taste of what was yet to come.

“Okay, I think I’m done,” Jaemin announced after a few minutes. “Go look in the mirror and then give me a twirl, I wanna see you from all angles before I let you go anywhere.”

Mark got up and walked over to the mirror. He looked at his make-up first - it wasn’t much, just like Jaemin had said, but it was just enough to make his features pop. If there was one thing Mark trusted Jaemin with, it was making him look good. Jaemin had an eye for everything fashion-related. Thinking about it, it made a lot of sense, knowing that the younger was pretty much in charge of the fashion column.

Jaemin had been writing for  _ (mis)guided vanity _ for a year already before Mark joined the team. At first, their relationship wasn't what Mark would call  _ friendly _ \- Jaemin had flirted with him incessantly until an intern came around and diverted Jaemin's attention to her. Mark had thought that was it - he would no longer hear from Jaemin. (It would be a lie if Mark said that at that point, he didn't feel a tiny bit of relief.)

Thankfully, that didn't turn out to be true. They were made to collaborate on an article - Ten clearly having taken notice of Jaemin's interest in Mark - and from then on, their friendship blossomed. Jisung joined them later - straight from uni - and Jaemin kind of immediately adopted the boy and they became an inseparable trio. It still baffled Mark how Jaemin's flirting landed them where they were now. Nevertheless, he was grateful to all deities it turned out like this - Mark had no idea what he'd do without his friends.

Mark turned in front of the mirror, making sure his outfit was okay and no pockets were lurking out of place. Jaemin cleared his throat to let Mark know he was waiting, the older almost jumping from surprise. He finally turned back to Jaemin and spun around slowly, letting the younger eye him up and down carefully.

"Oh, he's going to  _ love _ you," Jaemin exclaimed, clapping his hands together excitedly. "You look amazing."

"Isn't that kind of the opposite of what we need?" Mark said awkwardly. He still wasn't quite sure of how it was supposed to go. Mark cursed himself for not writing out a plan of what mistakes to make on a day to day basis. That was going to be his plan for tomorrow.

Jaemin shushed him, furrowing his brows. "Just enjoy the look, will you?"

Mark let out a small chuckle and took another look at himself in the mirror. His plan for this night was to just enjoy himself, and if he could do something small to annoy Xuxi, it was only going to be a plus, but Mark wasn't going to try too much. The big relationship mistakes were to come starting day three.

"What time is it?" Mark asked. He didn't want to be late.

"It's soon to be four, so I gotta get you back to the office," Jaemin said, standing up from the bed. 

Mark let out a quiet sigh - he was excited about the concert, he had been waiting to go to it for ages, but there was still some anxiety in him about it. He guessed that it stemmed from sharing the moment with Xuxi. He was a nice guy, but if they ended up on bad terms - which, Mark guessed, they would, knowing the hell he was going to put Xuxi through - the memory of the concert would be tainted. Life was full of sacrifices.

The boys left Jaemin's apartment and in a few minutes, they were back at the office. Mark got out of the car - he didn't want to make Jaemin wait for Xuxi with him. Knowing Jaemin, he would want to go and introduce himself to Xuxi, and Mark was not ready for that to happen yet.

"Have fun, sweetie!" Jaemin said before Mark could slam the car door shut. "Call me when you're home."

"Will do," Mark said as he closed the door and watched as Jaemin sped off.

Xuxi wasn't here yet. Given, Mark was fifteen minutes early, but he wasn't going to go in, despite the wind threatening to freeze off one or two of Mark's limbs. He should've asked Jaemin for a jacket - blouses were not the warmest of garments.

Mark checked his phone - Jisung had sent a few messages in their group chat mostly expressing his disappointment over not being the one to leave work early and  _ 'honestly, i have a much better sense of style, i should've been the one to doll mark up >:(' _ . Mark chuckled at that and shot a few messages back, teasing the younger about not being Ten's favourite that Jaemin clearly was.

"A smile looks good on you." A sudden voice made Mark divert his gaze from his phone screen. Xuxi had arrived early, Mark noted. He enjoyed punctuality in people.

"Thank you," Mark replied shyly and walked up to his date. He hoped he didn't blush, despite feeling the heat rise up to his cheeks.

"Get on," Xuxi invited, patting the motorcycle seat behind him.

Mark put on the helmet - this time by himself - and got on the motorcycle, holding onto Xuxi tightly. The boy had no idea where they were going, Xuxi refusing to disclose where he was taking him, but Mark supposed it couldn't be anything too bad - he was an omnivore anyway.

They ended up at a small family-owned restaurant. Mark had been there a few times, it was one of his favourite places. More and more pointed to Xuxi having a great taste in things. Well, he supposed there was a reason Xuxi walked up to  _ him _ that evening and no one else.

Mark usually got the beef bulgogi or sweet and spicy pork from there - in his humble opinion, those were the best dishes they had, though this time he didn't trust his stomach to hold everything down for long. Mark was not too happy about the prospect of having to go for motorcycle rides quite often for the next few days - the speed made his insides twist and he was more than sure that they were going to fall over at 50 mph on every turn they made.

Needless to say, the boy instead decided on a light dessert.

They left the restaurant in a little less than an hour. Mark came to the realisation that Xuxi was a very nice guy - he would've actually given him a chance if it weren't for the article. It was sad to let a man like that go to waste, but he had to do what he had to do.

The only thing that kept Mark from keeping the dessert down was the thought of going to god damn  _ Doja Cat concert _ in a dirty blouse - it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and his dignity could not take that.

Mark made sure to get a few breaths of fresh air before they entered the venue, Xuxi catching onto Mark's distaste for being on a motorcycle.

The boy felt himself grow giddy as they waited in line and, soon enough, they were there. Mark looked around in amazement, seeing how close to the stage they stood. Xuxi seemed to be just as happy. Mark supposed this experience was going to be just enough to pay back for what was to come.

The concert started a few minutes late, as always with the big-name artists. Mark didn't mind waiting, he and Xuxi pressed tightly together having a conversation that probably sounded more like a good-natured shouting match.

Once the concert was halfway through, Mark noticed he had an embarrassingly vast knowledge of Doja Cat's lyrics, which he belted out loudly with every song. The boy was sure his voice would be hoarse tomorrow. It was nice to see that Xuxi was just the same.

Mark was having the time of his life. He wasn't  _ that _ keen on concerts, but this one was worth it. It helped that Xuxi was standing right beside him with his arm around Mark's waist protectively. Mark couldn't believe his luck, getting to stand so close to the stage.

Doja Cat announced that she only had time for the last few songs. It felt like the concert had only just started when it was already about to end. Though Mark could feel his legs giving out already; an office job mixed with a sedentary lifestyle did not bode well for concerts. The drinks he and Xuxi had gotten previously also let themselves be known as Mark struggled to wait for the end of the concert.

Normally, he would've gone to the bathroom alone and let his date enjoy the rest of the concert. He didn't have to ruin the experience for someone else just because his bladder was a bit too small for the occasion.

Except this time, he  _ had _ to ruin the experience. He had to do everything in his power to ruin the experience. Which was exactly why Mark asked Xuxi to accompany him to the bathroom, despite it being the last two songs of the concert.

Mark tightly held onto Xuxi's hand as they went through the crowd towards the exit of the venue. Mark didn't feel guilty for making his date miss the end of the concert - Xuxi had gotten the ticket for free anyway. Asshole move, nonetheless, of course. But that was the whole point.

Xuxi had protested for a little, begging Mark to stand by a little longer, but the boy gave up soon enough, seeing that Mark was just that stubborn and not ready to wait anymore. So there they were, Xuxi waiting for Mark outside of the venue's bathroom as the boy took a leak.

It was just as much of an inconvenience for Mark as it was for Xuxi - it wasn't like Mark had wanted to miss the concert either. It was all fair - or so Mark tried to tell himself.

Mark washed his hands, looked up into the mirror to make sure he looked alright and exited the bathroom soon after.

People were streaming out of the venue. The concert was officially over. Xuxi looked disappointed.

Mark put on his sweetest smile and walked up to his date, slinging his arms around him. "So sad we didn't get to hear the last songs! I still had a great time with you, though," Mark said cheerily.

Xuxi smiled too. Mark could tell that his date was not happy about the turn of events, but he tried his best to mask his disappointment. Prince Charming in the flesh. "I had a great time with you, too."

They went outside, Mark still not letting go of Xuxi's waist. The boy ordered an Uber as they walked to a less crowded place.

"So... when can I see you again?" Xuxi asked.

"Do you wanna go to the cinema tomorrow? There's a movie I want to see," Mark suggested. "I think the name of it was  _ 'Swiped' _ ?"

"Sounds good to me."

Mark's Uber was there - a blue Honda Civic that the boy barely even noticed. Mark walked to the car, holding Xuxi's hand. His date opened the door for him -  _ what a gentleman - _ and kissed the boy softly.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Mark murmured, getting into the car.

"See you," Xuxi said and closed the car door with a smile.


End file.
